


i'll still be here when you open your eyes

by shedreamsofstars



Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Pining, also shigures up to his usual antics, it's honestly just a cute fluff piece with a litttlleee bit of heaviness at the end, it's stormy and kyo's there to take care of his girl, sharing a bed sorta but not really, whose not actually his girl hence the pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25132459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shedreamsofstars/pseuds/shedreamsofstars
Summary: "You will stay here, won't you?"Kyo met her panic with a soft smile, gently taking the hand she offered him and stroking his thumb against her knuckles. "I'm right here," he reassured her. "I'll still be here when you open your eyes in the morning."Kyo and Tohru spend the night together during a thunder storm.
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou
Comments: 15
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

Kyo didn't know why he was suddenly wide awake.

Sure, he'd forgotten to draw the curtains, but it was still pitch black out there so that couldn't be why he'd woken up. There had to be several hours before dawn at least. Maybe he was hungry or something he thought as he rolled over onto his side, reaching blindly for his phone.

He couldn't help feeling like there was something off about the night, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what. Or least, he couldn't until the first crack of thunder echoed through the house.

The heavy thud of raindrops hitting the rooftop that followed was nothing compared to the heavy ache that settled into his bones.

 _This_ was why he was awake he thought with a groan. The first flash of lightning must have been what had initially woken him, and now he lay there cursing the fact that the damn storm had arrived in the middle of a school night.

Glancing blearily at the phone screen in his hand to check the time, Kyo sat up. Angry at being disrupted in the middle of an otherwise restful sleep, he headed out into the hallway and stomped down the stairs without a care for how much noise he was making.

If the thunderstorm hadn't already woken up the other residents of the house, he sure as hell wouldn't be able to.

Filling a glass of water and downing it one go, Kyo headed back to his room with the same disregard as he had on the way down. The corridor lit up with an eerie glow and thunder crackled wildly as he reached his room. He paused with one foot in the door as that same feeling of wrongness overcame him as it had earlier.

He frowned and glanced back into the corridor. All the doors were shut, so he could only assume that the occupants were asleep – though how anyone could sleep through this noise was beyond him – and his frown only deepened.

As he shut the door behind him, Kyo couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something really important. And it wasn't until after he'd drawn the curtains and laid down on his futon that he realised what it was.

The light.

He jumped back up and was out in the hallway in a shot, standing outside the only door with a light peeking through the bottom. Tohru's room. She wasn't the best at dealing with thunderstorms from what he could remember – which was honestly pretty little. He struggled with them so much himself that he never really noticed if anyone else was affected by them.

Even so, it couldn't hurt to check up on her. He lifted his hand to knock, but he paused before his knuckles could touch the wood as doubt crept back into his mind.

What if she really was sleeping and he woke her? Leaving a light on in the middle of a storm didn't mean much when he thought about it. Unless she left it on because she was afraid. As he struggled to decide what to do, another crash of thunder boomed around him.

Through the monstrous rumble, his ears still managed to make out probably the only sound that would convince him to knock without thought. A fearful yelp from beyond the very door he stood in front of.

He rapped on the door twice, sharp and loud to make sure she heard him over the noise of the storm.

"Uh … hello?" she squeaked from within, assuaging any remaining doubt he had of her being asleep.

"Hey, its uh … me," he said softly, leaning his forehead against the door. "You doin' okay in there?"

Kyo wasn't expecting Tohru to come to the door, so when it opened inwards unexpectedly he stumbled forwards in surprise, barely catching himself on the doorframe with Tohru's familiar face just inches from his own.

"Kyo-kun?" she called gently, his name falling from her lips like a song. "What are you doing here?"

Kyo straightened up instantly, looking away to hide his face from her as the heat rushed to his cheeks. "Your light was on."

"Oh … yeah, it is."

"You okay?" he asked again, glancing sidelong at her.

Tohru nodded emphatically, even as she jumped at the next roll of thunder that echoed around them. "I'm fine. Really. You don't need to trouble yourself over me Kyo-kun. You should try to sleep, or you'll be tired for school tomorrow."

She held a steady smile on her face as she spoke, but it didn't take much for Kyo to see through her deception. From the way she had involuntarily jumped earlier to the way her voice trembled ever so slightly, Tohru was terrified and it tore him apart.

All he wanted was to be with her and make sure she was okay, but it was pretty clear from her words that she didn't want him there. The last thing he wanted to do was to force her spend time with him in the middle of the night.

He was not that kind of man and never would be, so he relented. If she claimed she was fine, then he was just going to have to trust her no matter how much his heart screamed that she was only saying it for his benefit.

"Okay, sleep tight," he said, the words burning his throat. "If you need me, I'll be up," he said, knocking once on the door before turning and walking away. He didn't look back, but he did hear the soft click of her door shutting behind him.

He sighed heavily as he entered his room, laying on the futon and throwing a helpless arm over his face despite the darkness. A particularly dreadful roll of thunder crashed outside and all he could do was wonder how Tohru was holding up.

God.

Tohru.

If this had happened in the day, he wouldn't have hesitated in going to her. But the night made things complicated. It was one thing for him to be with her in the sunlight, but the moonlight was reserved for lovers – a thing he knew too well they could never be.

Why didn't he ask her to go downstairs with him? It would have been so easy to pretend he was hungry and ask if she wanted a snack too. He didn't have any qualms about spending time with her anywhere else in the house, but what if she had turned him down? What then?

As his mind raced with ways he could have done things differently to help the girl he loved, Kyo almost missed the soft knock on the door right before it clicked open. He shifted his arm just enough to catch sight of the person who entered.

"Tohru?" he asked in disbelief, not quite believing his own eyes as he sat up.

"Um, Kyo-kun," she started, taking a tentative step into his room. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you but …"

"Hey. It's okay, come inside," he said, noticing the way her fingers were shaking. He glanced around the room, suddenly wishing he'd been more proactive in furnishing his room. "I don't really have anywhere to sit but, here," he said as he shifted off the futon. "You can take this. It's probably not as comfortable as your bed but …"

Kyo was suddenly very grateful that the darkness hid the blush that had blossomed on his cheeks as his mind drifted to places less than innocent.

"Oh, I can't," Tohru said, flapping her arms around in that cute way of hers as she shut the door and took a seat beside him. "I'm the one imposing on you, so you should take it."

"Tohru, I'm not going to-" Kyo started before three things cut off the rest of his sentence.

One: A clap of thunder drowned out his voice.

Two: Tohru launched herself at him with a shriek, her arms reaching out for him.

Three: Kyo dived out of the way to avoid transforming, knocking her gently towards the direction of the futon.

"Tohru!" he called out in alarm as the girl hit the mattress headfirst, realising a beat too late that he should have just let her hug him instead.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" she said, jumping up hurriedly. "That was some quick thinking there Kyo-kun, it barely hurt at all."

"Sorry, it was an automatic response," he said as he reached to inspect her head for any injuries. Her forehead was too cold for his liking, but she seemed otherwise okay. "I didn't mean to…" he trailed off, unsure of how to finish his sentence as her dark eyes settled on him.

"You should probably lay down. That was quite a tumble," he said, clearing his throat nervously.

"But-"

"No buts you dummy. I won't be annoyed by you taking my bed for the night. Especially not when you do so much for me every day."

"But are you sure-" Tohru let out a startled shriek as Kyo grabbed her by the shoulders and lowered her gently onto the futon. He hovered over her, caging her in with his arms on either side of her head as their noses accidentally brushed in the dark.

"I'm pretty sure I said no buts," he whispered, reaching to brush her hair out of her face as she stared up at him with wide eyes. Their breath mingled in the small space between them and Kyo wondered just how easy it would be to give in. To lean forward and finally know her lips.

Before he did something he'd regret, he sat up and reached for the covers that had pooled at the bottom of the futon. As he pulled them up over Tohru and tucked her in, her hand snaked out from underneath and reached for him. "You will stay here, won't you?"

Kyo met her panic with a soft smile, gently taking the hand she offered him and stroking his thumb against her knuckles. "I'm right here," he reassured her. "I'll still be here when you open your eyes in the morning."

"Can you lay down next to me? I know that you don't and … and that's …" Tohru bit her lip as she glanced away from him, giving up on wherever that sentence was leading. "Please," she finished, the word coming out as a helpless plea.

She didn't have to ask twice.

Kyo shuffled down to lay on his back beside her, her hand still clasped in his like a lifeline. Tohru rolled onto her side to face him. "Thank you," she whispered, squeezing his hand as she let her eyes drift shut. "Goodnight, Kyo-kun."

"Goodnight, Tohru," Kyo whispered back. He didn't have the courage to mirror her, but he did turn his head towards her, unable to take his eyes off her. He watched transfixed as her breathing evened out and she slowly slipped into a slumber.

At every roll of thunder, she would let out a gasp and cling tighter to him. But it only ever took a gentle word or two, a reminder that he was there, for her to fall back into a gentle sleep. In another life, they could have more than this. He could hold her and comfort her in the ways he truly wanted. They could be together, in every sense of the word.

Maybe in another life they could even have a future, but in this one, he was grateful for even this short time spent with her. That he could provide her even the smallest comfort meant more than he could ever express and was enough to make him forget how terrible the dreary weather made him feel.

"Tohru," he whispered softly after she'd gone some time without stirring. When he got no reply and she didn't react, he felt his confidence bolster and he reached to brush his fingertips against her cheek.

Without warning, the words he kept under lock and key, day after day were on his lips and he was powerless to keep them from escaping.

They were a lullaby sung in the light of the moon, sheltering her from the storm beyond. Words as sweet as spun sugar and just as delicate, whispered with the clarity of a boy who knew he had already lost that which he held most dear.

He knew she had no hope of remembering any of this once the storm passed, in fact, he was counting on it. It wasn't like he'd meant to fall for her after all. It was better that way. For her to go on living as she did without knowing his truth. Without knowing the true extent of his love for her.

That night, Kyo stayed up to keep watch over the girl who had entrusted herself to him. It wasn't until the lightning had ceased and the thunder rolled over to a distant hill that he finally let himself to succumb to sleep.

His heavy lids fell closed to the picturesque image of a peaceful Tohru, and he felt safe in the knowledge that, for whatever was left of the night, the girl beside him no longer had anything to fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! stay tuned for a bonus chapter with yuki and shigure because why the heck not ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> [if you fancy talking kyoru and fruits basket with me and other fans, come join us in the kyoru discord server. we'd love to have you there <3](https://discord.gg/vnF4mja)


	2. bonus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which shigure is up to his usual antics once again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um, my fingers slipped?

"Good morning," Shigure said, barely glancing up from his morning paper as Yuki strolled into the kitchen. He was in a sour mood from lack of sleep and barely grunted in response as he mechanically poured out a bowl of cereal.

"You look awful," the older man commented, his dark eyes peeking over the top of the paper.

Yuki glared at him before heading to the kotatsu to sit down as he slowly eased into the morning. Something felt strange, and it wasn't until he'd finished his breakfast that he realised why.

"Has Miss Honda not come down yet?" he asked with a sleepy yawn.

"Uhhh," Shigure said, glancing out the window as if he was barely paying any attention to the boy. "I think she left earlier this morning. Will you go and get Kyo please."

"Ugh, I should just leave him here today," Yuki groaned, comforted by the knowledge that as terrible as he felt, that stupid cat would be feeling worse.

"Now, now, Yuki. You know this weather's hard on him."

"Fine," Yuki grumbled, rolling his eyes as he headed upstairs.

He passed Tohru's open door and stopped outside of Kyo's. The storm had made him grumpy, and instead of knocking like he usually might, Yuki kicked the door open with a force that rivalled the thunder of the night before.

"Get up, you stupid cat! You're late for school. Miss Honda left already, you're the only one still-"

Yuki choked on the rest of his words as he noticed two heads pop up from the floor, one orange and one brunette. His eyes went from Kyo, to the delicate hand clasped against his chest before finally coming to rest on the sleepy-eyed person who the hand belonged to.

Tohru.

Spluttering his way through an apology, Yuki turned and all but ran back downstairs. He collapsed against the kitchen counter, his face burning with embarrassment as he caught his breath and took in what he had just seen.

He'd suspected there was something going on between Kyo and Tohru for a while, but he'd never expected either of them to be so bold as to spend a night together. Especially not when someone could walk in on them so easily.

The least they could have done was lock the door.

"What's wrong Yuki, you seem as if you've seen a ghost?" Shigure said, a knowing smirk on his face. It took Yuki one glance at the dog to know that, somehow, he already knew.

There was no other possible answer

That bastard had known this whole time and had deliberately sent Yuki upstairs to embarrass both him and his two friends. So whatever rattled response the older man was expecting to be amused by, Yuki wasn't going to him the satisfaction of seeing.

"Don't be silly Shigure, there's no such thing," he said, schooling his features into what he hoped was a somewhat normal expression. "I'm late, so I'll be off then."

"But what about Kyo?"

"I made sure to tell him you sent me upstairs," Yuki lied with an innocent grin as he waved his guardian goodbye.

Shigure's nervous grimace was almost worth the fact that he'd have to face Tohru and Kyo at some point in the day. Kyo was fine, he could handle that cat without a problem … but Miss Honda was a whole other story.

He wasn't sure he could look her in the eye after the way he'd just embarrassed himself, which was a problem considering they lived together. Suddenly, spending a few nights with Kakeru didn't sound so terrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, i appreciate it so much!
> 
> [if you fancy talking kyoru and fruits basket with me and other fans, come join us in the kyoru discord server. we'd love to see you there <3](https://discord.gg/vnF4mja)


End file.
